The Way We Weren't

Last updated

"The Way We Weren't"
The Simpsons episode
Episode no.Season 15
Episode 20
Directed by Mike B. Anderson
Written by J. Stewart Burns
Production codeFABF13
Original air dateMay 9, 2004 (2004-05-09)
Episode features
Couch gag The Simpsons sit on the couch as normal. From offscreen, someone hurls knives at the Simpsons' heads, but only hit the sides. Homer tries to get a bowl of chips, but a knife stops him.
Commentary Al Jean
J. Stewart Burns
Ian Maxtone-Graham
Matt Selman
Tim Long
Brian Kelley
Tom Gammill
Max Pross
Mike B. Anderson
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Simple Simpson"		Next →
"Bart-Mangled Banner"
The Simpsons season 15
List of episodes

"The Way We Weren't" is the twentieth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 9, 2004. The episode was written by J. Stewart Burns and directed by Mike B. Anderson.

Contents

In this episode, Homer recalls his first kiss as a ten-year-old with an anonymous girl, but Marge says that the kiss was with her and that he broke her heart. The episode received mixed reviews.

Plot

Bart and Milhouse steal a bottle of beer to play spin the bottle with neighborhood girls. Homer interrupts the game. The Simpson family holds a trial to determine Bart's guilt. Bart doubts that Homer never kissed a girl as a ten-year-old, but Marge states that Homer's first kiss was with her in high school. Homer confesses that his first kiss was with another girl. Homer recalls that when he was Bart's age, he went to a camp for underprivileged boys. The campers were forced to work in the kitchen of the neighboring girls' camp. Homer found a retainer left behind on a tray and returned it to its owner using the dumbwaiter. Through the wall, the girl asked Homer to see her later that night, but he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye and wore an eyepatch to the date. Marge reveals that the girl was her and that Homer broke her heart, and she says she would never have married Homer if she had known.

Marge gives her side of the story. She attended a camp to learn etiquette. She fell for the boy who returned her retainer, but, embarrassed by his real name, Homer gave a false name. While ironing her hair for the date, Marge accidentally burned it and became a brunette for the evening. She and Homer met and shared a passionate kiss. Homer gave Marge a heart-shaped rock, and they parted ways and agreed to meet again the following night. However, Homer did not appear for the second date, and Marge was unable to trust another boy for years.

Homer explains what happened. After the date, he was so happy that he accidentally fell off a cliff into the lake and drifted to a fat camp. He was caught by the camp instructor, who mistook him for a camper. Meanwhile, a devastated Marge decided to leave her camp and threw the heart-shaped rock away, breaking it in two. Homer escaped the fat camp but arrived at Marge's camp after she left. Despite knowing the truth, Marge cannot let go of the heartache. However, Homer proves that he truly cared about her by showing her half of the broken rock that he found. Marge reveals that she kept the other half to remind her how hurtful men can be, but she forgives Homer. They put the rock together to form a heart and share a passionate kiss.

Reception

Viewing figures

The episode earned a 2.4 rating and was watched by 6.64 million viewers, which was the 61st most-watched show that week. [1]

Critical response

Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide did not like the change in continuity, saying "[t]hough I don't expect stellar continuity from The Simpsons, the way it blatantly disregards established history can become obnoxious; 'Weren't' dances all over all sorts of previously determined concepts, and that makes it less enjoyable." [2]

On Four Finger Discount, Guy Davis and Brendan Dando said the episode was not a "world-beater" but enjoyed it. They acknowledged the difficulty of writing flashback episodes but thought there was not a major change in continuity. [3]

The episode was part of a DVD boxed set release called The Simpsons Kiss and Tell: The Story of Their Love, and in his review of the release, Andy Dougan of the Evening Times characterized the episode along with "Natural Born Kissers", "Large Marge", and "Three Gays of the Condo", as "four of the funniest episodes of recent series". [4]

Themes and analysis

The portrayal of Comic Book Guy in the flashback is cited as an example of the typical characteristic of male fans. Mel Stanfill writes, "Beyond insufficient capacity for violence, lack physical fitness is treated as a fundamental fan trait. ...Certainly much of the humor of the Simpsons' Comic Book Guy comes from how he waddles and wobbles, his constant eating, or jokes like him sweating through his jumpsuit with half a jumping jack at fat camp". [5]

Awards and nominations

This episode was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for programming less than one hour) at the 56th Primetime Emmy Awards. [6]

Related Research Articles

Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson (née Bouvier) is a character in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Marge was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on Life in Hell but instead decided to create a new set of characters. He based the character on his mother Margaret Groening. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, the Simpson family received their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989.

"Bart-Mangled Banner" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 16, 2004. The episode was written by John Frink and directed by Steven Dean Moore.

"Sleeping with the Enemy" is the third episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 2004. To date, this is Jon Vitti's last episode as writer and Lauren MacMullan's last episode as director.

"She Used to Be My Girl" is the fourth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 5, 2004. The episode was written by Tim Long and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

"Three Gays of the Condo" is the seventeenth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 13, 2003. The episode was written by Matt Warburton and directed by Mark Kirkland.

"The Fat and the Furriest" is the fifth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 30, 2003. The episode was written by Joel H. Cohen and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trilogy of Error</span> 18th episode of the 12th season of The Simpsons

"Trilogy of Error" is the eighteenth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 266th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 29, 2001. In the episode, Homer's rush to the hospital to re-attach his severed thumb, Lisa's rush to school to win the science fair, and Bart's run-in with an illegal fireworks scheme are interconnected as each act tells the events of the same day, but from a different point of view.

"Goo Goo Gai Pan" is the twelfth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 13, 2005. The episode was written by Dana Gould and directed by Lance Kramer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simple Simpson</span> 19th episode of the 15th season of The Simpsons

"Simple Simpson" is the nineteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 2, 2004. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and was the final episode to be directed by Jim Reardon.

"Future-Drama" is the fifteenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The 350th episode overall, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 17, 2005. In the episode, Bart and Lisa stumble into Professor Frink's basement, and he gives them a look into their future as teenagers getting ready for their high school graduation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Heartbroke Kid</span> 17th episode of the 16th season of The Simpsons

"The Heartbroke Kid" is the seventeenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Steven Dean Moore. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 1, 2005.

Joseph Stewart Burns, better known as J. Stewart Burns or simply just Stewart Burns is a television writer and producer most notable for his work on The Simpsons, Futurama, and Unhappily Ever After.

"Large Marge" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 24, 2002. In the episode, Marge decides to get liposuction, thinking that Homer does not find her attractive anymore. However, she accidentally receives breast implants, so she becomes adored by many men in Springfield and becomes a model. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse try to imitate a stunt they saw on an episode of Batman that guest starred Krusty the Clown. When the stunt ends badly, media watchdog groups blame Krusty, forcing the clown to make his show more safety-conscious and less fun.

"Natural Born Kissers" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 17, 1998. Homer and Marge discover that the fear of getting caught while making love is a turn on and start making love in public places. It was the first episode written by Matt Selman and was the only episode to be directed by Klay Hall. Some networks list the episode by the title, "Margie, May I Sleep with Danger?".

"Marge's Son Poisoning" is the fifth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 13, 2005. The episode was the first one written by Daniel Chun and was directed by Mike B. Anderson.

"We're on the Road to D'ohwhere" is the eleventh episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 29, 2006. The episode was written by Kevin Curran and directed by Nancy Kruse.

"Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair)" is the seventh episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 26, 2006. The episode was written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Matthew Nastuk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Big Girl</span> 12th episode of the 18th season of The Simpsons

"Little Big Girl" is the twelfth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2007. The episode was written by Don Payne and directed by Raymond S. Persi.

"Rome-Old and Juli-Eh" is the fifteenth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 11, 2007. The episode was written by Daniel Chun and directed by Nancy Kruse.

"Smart & Smarter" is the thirteenth episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 22, 2004. The episode was written by Carolyn Omine and directed by Steven Dean Moore.

References

  1. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (May 3–9)". ABC Medianet . May 11, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ Jacobson, Colin. "The Simpsons: The Complete Fifteenth Season (2003)". DVD Movie Guide. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  3. ↑ Davis, Guy; Dando, Brendan (July 8, 2022). "The Way We Weren't (S15E20)". Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast) (Podcast). Event occurs at 1:10. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  4. ↑ Dougan, Andy (February 25, 2006). "Andy Dougan's DVDs of the week". Evening Times . p. 20.
  5. ↑ Stanfill, Mel (2019). Exploiting Fandom: How the Media Industry Seeks to Manipulate Fans. University of Iowa Press. p. 51. ISBN   9781609386238.
  6. ↑ "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming less than one hour) – 2004". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.